Year-End Land Rush – a Holiday Marathon Over 11,000 Acres Protected in One Month!

VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1 WINTER 2014 YEAR-END LAND RUSH – A HOLIDAY MARATHON OVER 11,000 ACRES PROTECTED IN ONE MONTH! The Coastal Land Trust completed six new significant conservation acquisitions between December 1 and December 31, 2013. “We think that the Coastal Land Trust may have protected more land this December than any other conservation group in the state,” said Camilla Herlevich, Founder and Executive Director. “If we hadn’t planned ahead – foregoing December vacations; scheduling routine work ahead of time during the summer and fall; lining up attorneys, surveyors and contractors; and raising the money to pay them – we could never have made it through December’s marathon.” Brown’s Island/Tract #1 Executive Director Camilla Herlevich. “Its uplands Recognized as a natural heritage site of statewide are characterized by longleaf pine and mixed significance, this 600-acre island is one of the loblolly pine forest, which grade into bottomland largest remaining undeveloped islands along the hardwood sloughs and small depression ponds Brown’s Island/ coast. Located just north of Harker’s Island in as the topography varies throughout this beauti- Tract #1 – Carteret County, the island features an unusual ful property.” The protection of this tract adds to Carteret County maritime forest community of longleaf pine, live the protected lands along the Northeast Cape Fear oak, and wiregrass that provides excellent habi- begun with the conservation easement donated tat for a host of wildlife that inhabits the island, on 1,200 acres by the Thomas Family at Five Eagle including beautiful shorebirds and waterfowl. Partners Farm in Pender County. By acquiring this 183-acre tract, which was Allen’s Creek/Orton Plantation II purchased with a grant from Fred and Alice On December 27th, the Coastal Land Trust com- Stanback and a significant donation from the pleted one of the largest transactions in its history. owners, the Coastal Land Trust has now pro- Orton Plantation Holdings, LLC, which is owned by McFadden tected 415 acres, on Brown’s island! This tract conservation philanthropist Louis Bacon, donated a Tract – will be transferred to the North Carolina Wildlife conservation easement on 6,442.72 acres at Orton Bladen County Resources Commission for management. Plantation. This tract comprises land west of NC Highway 133 and does not include the area along Cape Fear River/McFadden the Cape Fear River, where the plantation house The Coastal Land Trust purchased title to the Mc- and most of the historic features and archaeological Fadden Tract, 238.10 acres along the Cape Fear sites are located. River in Bladen County. The property, which is located just south of the 1,400 acre N.C. Wild- The area placed under easement includes a variety life Resources Commission Whitehall Plantation of natural features and managed forests. Water fea- Game Lands, features cypress-gum swamp and tures on the property include Allen’s Creek (which changes its name to Lilliput Creek); McKinzie Pond, Joyce Creek – hardwood wetlands providing natural habitats Camden for fish and wildlife along the Cape Fear River Blue Pond and a host of small limesink ponds. County and French’s Creek. This property will be trans- Its forests include stands of longleaf pine and ferred to the Wildlife Resources Commission for wiregrass; mixed longleaf and loblolly pine; management. cypress-gum swamp; pocosin and pine flatwoods Joyce Creek/Williams communities. Wildlife habitat includes the federally The Williams family donated an agricultural endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (for which conservation easement on 418.28 acres of their the owner has entered into as Safe Harbor Agree- family farm near South Mills in Camden County. ment with the N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission The farm, which grows corn, wheat, soybeans and the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service) and a host Owens & of game species including quail, wild turkey, and Williams Tract – and rapeseed, also features wood land, beautiful- Pender County ly-managed wildlife food plots and one mile of other upland game birds. frontage along both sides of Joyce Creek. This donated conservation easement represents a The conservation easement held by the Coastal giant step forward in permanently protecting the Land Trust will permanently preserve the agricul- lower Cape Fear corridor, a founding goal of the tural viability and productivity of the property’s Coastal Land Trust more than two decades ago. prime agricultural soils, preserve the woodland Currituck Shooting Club/ nature of the forested portions of the property Marsh Islands and prevent development of the property. On December 31, the last day of the 2013 year, the Allen’s Creek/ Northeast Cape Fear/ Coastal Land Trust acquired a donated conservation Orton Plantation – easement on 1,535 acres of the historic Currituck Brunswick County Owens & Williams Property owned by the Owens and Williams Shooting Club property from The Fidelity Com- families along the Northeast Cape Fear River was pany, as the agent for The Currituck Shooting Club. identified as early as 2002 as a high priority by The property includes an extensive marsh island and buffer system along the Currituck Sound. It Photo courtesy of Walker Golder Photo courtesy of Walker the Coastal Land Trust. The Coastal Land Trust worked with HVW Legacy Holdings, the families’ features prime waterfowl and fisheries habitat and limited partnership, to close on a conservation provides connectivity and a critical buffer to the easement over 2,315.56 acres of this property neighboring Audubon Sanctuary at Pine Island in late December. A grant from Fred and Alice and the nearby Narrows Marshes. This area is Stanback, and a significant donation from the one of the most significant habitats for migratory Marsh Islands – owners, made the project possible. waterfowl on the entire East Coast Flyway. The Currituck County Coastal Land Trust plans to transfer the easement “This property is an absolute gem, with more to National Audubon Society in 2014, for them than five miles of frontage along the Cape Fear to manage as part of its Currituck Marshes - Pine River, with high bluffs in many places,” said Island Important Bird Area and Sanctuary. VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1 RESIDENT S ESSAGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS P ’ M Board members serve three (3) year staggered WOW! A record-breaking year for the Coastal tional programming by partnering with the Boy terms. Board members are elected each year by Land Trust!! More than 12,000 acres of fabulous Scouts at Camp Sam Hatcher and the founders of the membership during the annual meeting. conservation land saved in 2013 – from Currituck “A Time for Science” at Bray Hollow. PRESIDENT SecretarY in the north, to Brunswick in the south, and ev- Kevin Hicks Ken Shanklin erywhere in between. And what beautiful lands These great accomplishments didn’t happen by Wilmington, NC Wilmington, NC – high, forested bluffs overlooking the Northeast accident. The staff and Board have been plan- VICE PRESIDENT TREASURER Cape Fear River – storied waterfowl habitat in ning and preparing for months so that the Land Edward Norvell Sadie S. Price Currituck Sound – a productive, working farm in Trust would be positioned to capitalize on the Salisbury, NC and Wilmington, NC opportunity created by the change in the tax Ocracoke, NC Camden County – and last but certainly not least, more than 6,000 acres of longleaf and other for- laws. As President, I couldn’t be prouder of our Merrie Jo Alcoke George Liner ests at Orton Plantation. staff in getting our work completed before the New Bern, NC Havelock, NC stroke of midnight on December 31st. John Fussell Bob Oakes Several of these lands create great opportunity Morehead City, NC Nags Head, NC for public use in 2014 and beyond. We’ll bring John Haley, III Peter Rascoe, III more children to nature and expand our educa- Wilmington, NC Southern Shores, NC Paul E. Hosier Ann Cary Simpson Wilmington, NC Chapel Hill, NC David Huffine George H. Wood Wilmington, NC Kill Devil Hills, NC Bob Jones Clark Wright DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Wilmington, NC New Bern, NC Jason L. Kesler With the cold days of January now upon us, es at Brown’s Island and along the Northeast Wilmington, NC December seems even more extraordinary now Cape Fear; than it was at the time! • The F M. Kirby Foundation, the Cannon Foun- dation, and the Conservation Trust for NC, STAFF In June, when the legislature abolished the NC each whom provided grants that we used for conservation tax credit for 2014, we knew that costs related to end-of year projects; MAIN OFFICE Tatum Justice 131 Racine Dr., Suite 202 Stewardship Assistant we could expect more closings than usual this • The landowners themselves, who made ex- Wilmington, NC 28403 Ext. 201 December. By any measure, whether quality or (910) 790-4524 stewardship@ traordinarily generous contributions of their (910) 790-0392 Fax coastallandtrust.org quantity of acres, whether variety or significance property and, in almost every case, contributed Camilla M. Herlevich of habitat – our most ambitious hopes have been to the expenses and endowments needed, too Executive Director wildly exceeded. ext. 206 CENTRAL OFFICE (astonishingly, an estimated $22,000,000 in do- [email protected] Janice L. Allen nated value of property rights was contributed Deputy Director But the real heroes of this story are you, our John Napiecek 3301-G Trent Road to the Coastal Land Trust in December); and Business Manager New Bern, NC 28562 supporters, who gave generously when we ext. 204 (252) 634-1927 Phone • Our members, who responded to our special alerted you to this one-time opportunity. Without [email protected] (252) 633-4179 Fax end-of-year appeal with checks from $25 to [email protected] you, these would have remained conservation Jesica C.

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